sliding door window

[pieman]

Hi

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to fit a window into the sliding door of a MK2 Belingo van? If, where or how can I get hold of the parts to do this job?

Many thanks

[Tomcat3]

A friend of mine had a window put in the sliding door on her van when she moved to france. It gave better vision when pulling out of junctions being right hand drive. It was just a basic window fitted by a camper van firm near where they lived. Have a search for camper convertors or auto glazing companies in your area.

[evdama]

Easy enough for a professional outfit to do.

The remote caveat is that a jobsworth representative of Vehicle Inspectorate would deem it as a change of use (van to a car) and report to Customs and Excise for the 10% Car Tax you would then owe them.
Be nice to your MOT guy at all time!

[Gadgetman]

Why'd he reclassify the car?

We had a company mound a window on the sliding door of the office car(VolksWagen Caddy, 2012 model with all the crap installed.), and it wasn't reclessed. And we have the weirdest regulations on that point in the world*...
(The same car now comes with a factory-installed window in that door as standard.)
Having that window is a safety issue.

*Once upon a time, the ferry between Norway and Denmark had to replace the perspex in the phonebooths on the lower decks nearly every week because people were buying Porsche 911 on the continent, mount a plate behind the seats, and get it registered as a truck/van.
(That loophole was closed pretty soon, though. There are still a few of those 911 'vans' rolling about)

[evdama]

You wouldn't reclassify it
Thats the point.
Unless of course you had too much time and/or money/honesty.
Notice I used the word 'jobsworth'
Thats where the reclassification would arise from.

[crickleymal]

I don't see how it would have to be reclassed even by the most anal of jobsworths. It's got no rear seats, no seatbelt mountings so it would be hard to say it was a car not a van.

[evdama]

The most anal of jobsworths could also include the decent MOT guy who is under observation by VOSA for being a little too "sympathetic" lately.
Its happened here recently.
The "four minute certificate" chap turned into a right PITA.

[stuartinlancashire]

Easy enough for a professional outfit to do.

The remote caveat is that a jobsworth representative of Vehicle Inspectorate would deem it as a change of use (van to a car) and report to Customs and Excise for the 10% Car Tax you would then owe them.
Be nice to your MOT guy at all time!

This is rubbish, the vehicles main purpose is to carry goods regardless of if it has windows in the panel or not. The only thing a jobsworth could say is that the "Body Type" section on the V5 should be changed with the DVLA from Car Derived Van/Panel Van to Car Derived Van/Panel Van With Windows.



EDIT

Oh I apologise, it appears I was hasty in my reply. Apparently a van with side windows "could" be classed as a car for tax purposes :S

"If a vehicle has side windows behind the driver and passenger doors, it is also unlikely to fall within this exception. This is particularly so if it is fitted, or is capable of being fitted, with additional seating behind the row which includes the driver. "


See here

[evdama]

The only surefire way to unblur the edges is to pop in a window and report yourself to George Osborne.
A nice feature that improves road safety discouraged by our national taxation attitude.

Anyone prepared to take one for the team?


Or how about obtaining a s/h multispace door,have it colour matched and just swap them back over in the event of MOT (or insurance claim...)

[stuartinlancashire]

Having looked at this a tiny bit further I think you are probably OK with windows in the side panel if the vans main purpose is to carry goods. If there are seats in the back, or a bed then that's when you are probably on dodgy ground. It seems there have been cases where people have unsuccessfully tried to argue in court that camper vans & Land Rover Defender Station Wagons are vans. See here This is probably the reason for the ambiguous wording.